Hanging with PhillyTapFinder

My wife was out of town this past weekend which means time to go out! Since PhillyTapFinder's wife was out of town, we decided to meet up after work and hang out for a while. And, well, a while turned into almost seven hours.

We started out at Prohibition Taproom. Jo and I went there once a while ago but haven't been back since. The most unique part of the place is the oddly shaped bar which is shaped like an E with seats all around it. The inside is really nice looking though and it's a really comfortable place to spend time. When I arrived, Jared had already ordered a glass of Hill Farmstead Abner and was tweeting about how good it was so that's how I started.

Clean grapefruit nose, no bitterness. Started with grapefruit, followed by a little caramel sweetness and finished a little dry and bitter. The little bit of sweetness gave it a nice balanced edge and kept it from being too dry which I really enjoyed. Otherwise the bitterness can be a overwhelming. Jared and I both thought it was real good and lucky for us here in Philly it's everywhere at the moment.

After that I got another glass of Abner (sort of by accident, but whatever) and then a Brew Works Double O Seven.

Sweet, wheat nose. Tasted sweet with a little bit of tartness in it, almost like what you find in a berliner weisse. Some wheat flavors but they blended nicely with the sweetness from the higher ABV. I'm not a big wheat beer guy (at least not the normal versions) but this was a tasty Imperial Wheat or whatever they want to call it.

We'd been at Prohibition for a couple hours at that point and decided to head out towards the Khyber. Both of us really enjoy it so it seemed like a no brainer. Luckily we found two bar seats when we arrived and Jeremy was one of the bartenders so I knew it was going to be a good night.

I started with a glass of HaandBryggeriet Odin's Tipple, a Russian Imperial Stout.

Lovely picture, as always. Vanilla and chocolate in the nose. Lots of dark fruit, chocolate, and vanilla followed and it was pretty consistent throughout. I ordered it since people had been talking about how good it is and while it was pretty good, I've definitely had better imperial stouts. If you like the dark fruit flavors, though, this would be a good choice.

After that I got a Unibroue Ephemere Currant plus ordered some food.

The Ephemere smelled like raspberry candy basically. Incredibly fruity although not overly sweet. Tasted pretty dry with hints of cherry almost. Even though it's made with currants (or I assume it is based on the name) I only got a little of that flavor. I'll be honest though and say I don't think I've ever had a currant so heck maybe this is what they taste like. Regardless, for something as hugely fruity as this was, I did enjoy it.

Then my food came. Based on a suggestion from Jeremy, I got a Fried Chicken Poboy with Roast Beef gravy. Holy crap. Freaking amazing. Now, sure I was four beers in at this point, but it had been three hours so I wasn't that drunk. Just absolutely delicious. The Khyber just has amazing food and you really should go and order some. Right now even although don't know if they are open so maybe not right now. Tonight!

I finished up with a Troegs Dead Reckoning, a ridiculously hoppy porter.

Smelled hoppy with a hint of roast. Basically reminded me of an American Black Ale (take that Black IPA and Cascadian Dark Ale people!) but with a little more roast. Taste followed with a ton of hoppy bitterness and a little bit of roast. Wasn't terrible, but definitely not for me. Just too bitter and dry and not enjoyable to my palate.

At this point, I was tired, the Phillies were about to lose in the 11th, and I was nice and full from the awesome food. Jared and I had been out since 4pm and it was nearing 11 so it was time to head home. Prohibition was a great start and I got to meet the owner (I think named Mike) plus another guy named John which was fun. Hadn't been to the Khyber since Philly Beer Week and that was an excellent way to finish out the night. Always a good time hanging with Jared too and I'll get to do it again this Friday at Yards Smoke 'Em If Yous Got 'Em (tickets on sale now! Hang out with me! And other more popular people. Like Steve Mashington!)